As it is known, communication infrastructures are used within railway vehicles, for transmitting data and control signals between carriages of the same railway vehicle or towards ground control stations.
Usually, the communication infrastructure provides for a wired communication network between the carriages of the railway vehicle, in particular including an Ethernet type data communication network, and a wireless connection with the ground control stations, in particular via the cellular network, implementing for example the 4G standard.
Such communication infrastructure allows, among other features, to implement a complete connectivity platform for on board applications, generally indicated as PIS, Passenger Information System.
In particular, such system assures that passengers receive a plurality of audio and video information relative to the journey or information of a promotional or cultural nature (magazines, real time news, etc.), for example via monitors provided on board the carriages and/or audio speaker systems; the system further provides management, for example via mobile electronic devices, belonging to the passengers, of multimedia content and public entertainment.
The aforesaid PIS system also allows management and diagnostics, even in real time, of all on-board electronic devices and equipment, implementation of passenger safety thanks to video surveillance systems with localised filming and remote access, and counting of passengers, so-called “people counter” or “passenger counter”, for the automated acquisition of the number of passengers carried per train.
In essence, therefore, this system advantageously provides an improvement of passenger satisfaction, but also increased safety on board with video surveillance, the detection of possible failures or fires, and improvement of maintenance tasks.
In more detail, the Ethernet data communication network provides that each electronic device on board has its own IP address and can support SNMP diagnostics managed by a centralised GPS unit, being able in turn to connect without interruption to the ground via a mobile connection, for example via a mobile 4G network.
This way, not only the electronic/electric elements, but virtually any on-board component can be monitored by special sensors, for ageing, wear, malfunction or failures.
In addition, the data monitored can be used to generate alarms to report emergencies, which may be transmitted to ground stations together with other contextual information such as position, speed, temperature, or otherwise, for further analysis, storing in databases for statistical purposes or forecasting of faults.
The effective implementation of the communication infrastructure described above requires effective and safe wiring systems inside the railway vehicle carriages and between the carriages.
In this regard, the wired connection between adjacent carriages of the railway vehicle is particularly critical, since these carriages are subject, in use, to all types of reciprocal motion, stress and vibrations; the wiring systems used must therefore be able to withstand the resulting continuous and repetitive stresses and strains, bending and oscillation, and also every possible environmental condition while the railway vehicle is running.
The wiring solutions currently used to connect adjacent carriages in railway vehicles and transmit data and control signals envisage use of a so-called UIC cable with 18 poles, provided with corresponding connectors designed for coupling with complementary connectors on the carriages; and in addition, for the Ethernet data connection, the use of a special cable, category CAT.5e or category Cat.7, both in the 24AWG version, for the transmission of 1000BASE-TX signals terminating in respective connectors designed for coupling with further connectors on the carriages.
The present Applicant has verified that such wiring systems are not without problems, especially with regard to the complexity of installation and maintenance operations, as well as regards safety in emergency conditions.
It has indeed been verified that it is common practice in case of emergencies, when detaching the carriages, to rip the cables, on account of the fixed coupling currently in place, with consequent irreparable damage to the wiring.
The present Applicant has therefore ascertained that the need is felt for an improved wiring system which, among other features, overcomes the drawbacks set out above.